Courtesy of Emma Wheeler
Camel of the Edition is a continuous series which seeks to highlight extraordinary Connecticut College athletes who have stood out for their recent performances. This edition, The College Voice is honoring two graduating senior student-athletes who have stood out for their performances during their time as Camels.
Emma Wheeler ‘24 is a dual-sport athlete, competing for both the women’s volleyball and track and field teams. From Meredith, New Hampshire, Wheeler is currently closing out her final track season as a Camel. She has broken several school records over her four years, including the pentathlon (3240 points) and high jump (5’ 2’’). Having been to the NCAA DIII National Championships previously in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Wheeler is an experienced competitor who is looking to end her collegiate career as strong as possible. This outdoor season has been nothing but on par for Wheeler, and she continues to cement her legacy in the record books and track and field memories here at Connecticut College.
Recently, The College Voice caught up with Wheeler to learn about her track journey, the work that goes into being a multi-event competitor, and her hopes for her final season as a Camel.
Introduce yourself (name/pronouns, majors/minors, any clubs or other involvements on campus)
My name is Emma Wheeler (She/Her), I am a senior at Conn with a major in psychology and a minor in economics. I am in the Data, Information, and Society Pathway. I am a member of the varsity women’s volleyball and track and field teams.
What has your journey with sports been like? Did you grow up playing other sports?
I grew up playing pretty much every sport, whether it was gymnastics, basketball, softball, or the two sports I do in college now, I was always practicing or competing. I hate to be bored and I’m very competitive, so sports has always been a great outlet for me. I narrowed my participation down to just three sports in high school, which were track, volleyball and basketball. Eventually my body couldn’t take the constant stress of doing three seasons on top of club and AAU practices, so I stopped playing basketball after my sophomore season. This was a difficult decision because I loved my teammates and playing so much, but the extra time allowed me to get better at volleyball and track, which were the sports I knew I could do in college.
Tell me a little bit about your recruitment process and how you decided on Conn?
My recruitment process was tricky because I was only really looking at schools that I could play volleyball at which made track kind of an afterthought. I was very undersized for my position in volleyball, but after getting in contact with Coach Edmed (VB coach at Conn), he liked the way I played and wanted to move me to a different position. I visited Conn and really enjoyed the campus and saw it as a good fit. I spoke with Coach Ned Bishop on my visit and he said he wanted me to be a multi athlete for his team, which I hated the sounds of because that involved running the 800. However after some careful reflection, I decided that I didn’t want to give up playing either of my sports, so Conn was a great fit for me to continue both as well as take advantage of a great education.
What does the off-season look like for you in terms of training?
I don’t necessarily have an off-season because I do volleyball in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. This is great for the way I like to live because I love to be busy and have the structure of practice everyday. That being said, the training I do for volleyball lends itself nicely to the things I do in track season, and vice versa. With Coach Pirla we do a lot of explosive movements that increase the performance of our fast twitch muscles. Both of my sports rely heavily on vertical/horizontal jumps and speed based movements, so I work on those throughout the whole school year. I do take a week or two off between each season which allows my body to rest and recover, but I am usually itching to get back to practice by the end of that time.
How do you prepare for your races and events? Do you have any rituals or superstitions?
I taper my training quite a bit in preparation for big multi meets. I like to place an emphasis on stretching, rolling out, and other recovery techniques during the week leading up to a multi. I don’t necessarily have any rituals or superstitions, but I like to plan out what food I’ll be eating throughout the meet because this puts my mind at ease knowing I will have the proper fueling and energy to perform my best.
As a multi-event competitor, what is your favorite event to compete in?
My favorite event is the 100 meter hurdles because it feels so satisfying to go over ten hurdles without any hiccups. It’s also the first of the five or seven events, so I have the most energy, and it really sets the tone of how the rest of the meet will go for me.
You have several school records! How do you stay motivated and determined in a sport that can be so mentally tough and physically demanding?
I stay motivated by thinking about post-graduation when I will no longer be able to play at the collegiate level in a sport that I love so much. I set goals before each season, and working towards these is usually what keeps me motivated, but there have been many times where I feel defeated and don’t want to put in the hours that I have to in order to succeed. It is in these situations that I remember how lucky and grateful I am to be able to do my sport, and knowing that five or ten years down the road I would give anything to compete one more time.
Having been to nationals in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, what would you say is the most important thing that you do to allow for peak performance and success?
I actually have a tricky time performing at my best during nationals. Based on my two previous experiences at nationals, I have seriously underperformed which I think was a result of mental and physical fatigue given that the season is so long for both indoor and outdoor. It is something that I’ve been focusing on for my last season, so I’ve taken it very easy at the beginning of this season. I’ve even sat out of meets entirely to allow my body to recover and prevent any mental burnout. Every year it seems that I perform at my peak at the New England Championship because I always set a goal to win this meet. With this in mind, I’ve set the goal of getting into the top 8 at nationals this year (All-American), so I am hoping this will carry me through the last few weeks of my season and allow me to mentally lock in when competing at the national level.
Looking back on your four years at Conn, what has been your favorite track memory?
My favorite track memory was the indoor New England championship my junior year. Although I got second place, I got the school record and had a huge PR in the 800, which was an event that I typically struggle with. Coach Ned had told the whole team the time I needed to break the school record, but I didn’t know what the time was. The whole team was cheering me on through the last race, and when I crossed the line I had gotten the record. Everyone told me at the end and it made me feel so unbelievably accomplished and supported by my team. A few other school records fell at that meet, so it was such a great feeling to be performing at my best at the same time as my teammates.
Is there anything that you would love to still accomplish here before you graduate? Any post-graduate aspirations?
The last thing I want to accomplish is gaining All-American honors. I have to make it to nationals first, but if I do, I want to put together one last great performance before I finish my collegiate sporting career. Before nationals, I want to defend my New England Championship title this weekend. After graduation, I will carry the lessons and skills I’ve learned from my participation in college sports into my professional career. I will be moving to Bozeman, MT to work full time for a company called Overland Summers that leads backpacking trips for kids. My goal is to join a rec league out there as soon as possible, and hopefully be able to coach at some point! I will always remain in touch with the amazing teammates I’ve met along the way, and be forever grateful that I had the outlet of sports for my four years at Conn.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
